Tunde Afolabi

Air Peace, has sacked scores of pilots across its fleet and have slashed staff salaries by up to 40 per cent.

This was confirmed on Monday by the airline’s spokesman, Mr. Stanley Olise.

According to Mr. Olise’s statement, the retrenchment, and shedding of staff is not unlinked with the economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Describing the sacking as “painful but rightful decision,” the airline’s management said the cutbacks were necessary to ensure that Air Peace survives the hardship of the times.

The spokesman’s communique further stressed that the decision was inevitable under the circumstances, adding that the move was made in order to protect the continuity of the majority of the existing jobs and the possibility of creating new ones in the future, as well as to ensure the survival of the airline.

Below is the full statement as released by Mr. Olise on behalf of the Air Peace management.



“The Management of Air Peace wishes to state that it has taken a very painful but rightful decision, in the circumstances the airline has found itself as a result of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and financial health, to terminate the employment of some of its pilots.

“This decision was taken for the greater good of the company and its almost 3000 workforce, the affected pilots inclusive. The airline cannot afford to toe the path of being unable to continue to fulfill its financial obligations to its staff, external vendors, aviation agencies, maintenance organisations, insurance companies, banks and other creditors hence the decision to restructure its entire operations with a view to surviving the times.

“The pandemic has hit every airline worldwide so badly that it has become very impossible for airlines to remain afloat without carrying out internal restructuring of their costs. Anything short of what we have done may lead to the collapse of an airline as could be seen in some places worldwide during this period. Therefore, we decided to review the salaries being paid to all staff. The new salaries reflect a 0%-40% cut of the former salary depending on the salary grades of every staff. Even after the cuts, it was obvious that for us to be able to sustain our operations and survive the times, some jobs must inevitably have to go.

“Air Peace has never, for one day, ever owed salaries to its workers in its almost six years of existence, pilots inclusive. Rather the management of Air Peace has always been known to be increasing salaries of its employees periodically without being prompted by staff. In fact, in one fell swoop, Air Peace increased the salaries of pilots by over 100% in one day! Our salaries have always been paid even before the end of the month in the last 5 years!

“So we love all our staff. This decision is inevitable under the circumstances we find ourselves. In order to protect the continuity of majority of the existing jobs and the possibility of creating new ones in future, the survival of the airline is of paramount importance. When everything comes back to normal those pilots affected today will have a place to come back to in future if they so wish.

“The decision is a reflection of the negative impact of the pandemic on airlines and aviation worldwide. We are in trying times. Even the biggest airlines in Europe, America, Middle East, Asia, Australia and, indeed, Africa, are all either slashing jobs and cutting salaries in order to remain afloat or are shutting down. Air Peace is not immune from these challenges.”

Read more at www.overtnews.com

Okey Ikpeazu

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has signed into law the revised 2020 budget of N300.3billion.

The budget represents a 48 per cent decrease after a downward review from N530.8billion initially proposed last year.

Governor Wike signed the budget on Wednesday in the presence of the deputy governor, the Speaker of the House, members of the State Executive Council, among other top government functionaries.

This followed the presentation of the budget by the Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, to him at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

In his remark, the governor said the unfortunate effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the country, necessitated the review.

Wike said that despite the reduction in capital and expenditure estimates, his administration will still be focused on delivering developmental projects to the people of the state.

“It is most unfortunate that everybody is living a different life now because of the pandemic, which calls for us to face the economic reality

“The COVID-19 has affected economic activities and revenues of government, and so it became necessary to review our budget.

“We are the only State that has not cut down the salaries of political appointees and elected officers. Virtually all the States have cut down 20 to 30 percent of salaries of political appointees. Having cut down the recurrent expenditures, the overhead will no longer be the same,” he said.

Speaking also, the Speaker of the House, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani commended Governor Wike for implementing policies and programmes to the benefit of the Rivers people.

He said the revised budget and revised medium-term expenditure framework stipulate actions of government to better the fortunes of the state and establish an enduring legacy for posterity.

Read more at www.overtnews.com

Eugene Emperor

FORMER Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, has said he did not receive any contract from NDDC as alleged by Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

Ibori, in a statement by his Media Assistant, Mr Tony Eluemunor, urged Akpabio to “calm down and focus on the task at hand.”.

Eluemunor stated: “On hearing the news of the alleged Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contract awarded to him this morning, from the former Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as published in a newspaper and other online publications, he did not want to join in the ‘dancing in the market square’ going on in the NDDC right now.”


“He has decided to make this clarification for the records because friends and associates inundated him with phone calls this morning. So, he is stating categorically that he never solicited for, or was awarded, or indeed executed, any contract with NDDC or any government agency, at any time, for that matter.

“And in all he has been through in and out of public office, he has never been accused of being a government contractor, let alone a failed one hence he did not want to dignify the allegation with a response because it is ridiculous. So, Ibori is advising Akpabio, his brother, friend and member of the former Governors Forum, to please calm down and focus on the task at hand.

“Ibori said that the NDDC we have today is a product of his personal sacrifice as well as those of his Niger Delta colleagues (1999 -2007) who rose to the occasion to override the veto of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who refused to assent to the NDDC Bill at the time.

“If not for the exemplary courage some of us exhibited, there would have not been an NDDC to bicker about today”, he said.

Eluemunor quoted Ibori as saying: “Watching the level the NDDC has degenerated to, is a tragedy. We owe it a duty to the people of the Niger Delta to make NDDC work to ameliorate the sufferings of the people of the region and to realise the dream for which we fought for it to be set up. So, let everybody involved in the NDDC do their duties to the good people of the region.”

Read more at www.overtnews.com

Ibrahim Musa

Gov. Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa on Monday announced the immediate reopening of 40 schools in the state and also directed all categories of civil servants to return to work from Aug. 4.

The governor, who made this known while briefing newsmen in Dutse, also directed the Ministries of Health and Education to come up with time schedules for running the programme under strict compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the recalling of the workers came few weeks after officers from level 12 and above had resumed.

NAN reports that the state government had initially directed its workers to work from home for two weeks from March 24 and continually expanded the order so as to protect workers from being exposed to COVID-19.


Badaru said the decision to recall all workers back to their duty posts was sequel to the progress recorded in terms of compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures after recalling those in the category of level 12 and above few weeks ago.

According to him, government will adopt the same strategy across the workforce in all the ministries and departments in order to ensure total compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures.

He, however, said that the 40 schools would be selected from primary, junior, senior and private secondary schools from the three senatorial zones of the state.

The governor assured parents and guardians that other schools would also be reopened gradually if there were some improvements in terms of compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures in the selected 40 schools.

Read more at www.overtnews.com

Hassan Idris


The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has confronted the army over an attack on his convoy in Baga, a town in Kukawa local government.

Governor Zulum had departed Maiduguri, the state capital on Monday afternoon for the northern part of the state in continuation of the food distribution programme which he started earlier in July.

On Wednesday, he was scheduled to visit Baga, a fishing town on the shores of the Lake Chad region which has been under the control of insurgents for many years until the military declared its liberation, insisting no Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram.

But, few kilometers to Baga, gunmen opened fire on the Governor and his entourage.

The Governor was forced to retreat as security operatives on escort duties repelled the attackers.



A furious Zulum confronted the Commanding Officer in Mile 4, mincing no words in expressing his disappointment at the inability of the military to rid Baga and environs of insurgents.

“You have been here for over one year now, there are 1,181 soldiers here; if you cannot take over Baga which is less than 5 km from your base, then we should forget about Baga. I will inform the Chief of Army Staff to redeploy the men to other places that they can be useful,” Zulum said.

“You people said there’s no Boko Haram here, then who attacked us?”

The Governor has since returned safely with his entourage to Monguno where the distribution of palliatives continues.

www.overtnews.com

Isa Muhammed

The Federal Government says Nigeria is awaiting the return of $200million from the Netherlands and Switzerland.

According to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, the money is part of proceeds from the Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 Malabu oil deal.

Mr Malami disclosed this on Tuesday at a one-day capacity building workshop organised for judiciary correspondents in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

At the event, he presented a scorecard of the Ministry of Justice in the last one year during which he outlined the efforts of the present administration in the war against corruption.

“On the fight against corruption and associated recovery of looted and illicit assets, I am happy to inform you that within the period in contention, Nigeria succeeded in recovering $311 billion from U.S. and New Jersey and the money has been repatriated to Nigeria,” Malami said.


The minister said due to the anti-corruption crusade, the Federal Government facilitated the recovery of $62 billion arrears from oil companies as part of its Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

He explained that the money has been paid into the Federal Government treasury for utility development such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Kano-Abuja Expressway, and the Second Niger Bridge, in line with the agreement reached with the foreign partners.

Malami also disclosed that over N685 million was recovered through the help of whistle-blowers within the last one year while N500 million was recovered from forfeited vessels, trucks, and barges.




Elsewhere, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the government has recovered looted funds in excess of N800 billion with over 1,400 convictions secured.

Mohammed, who also addressed reporters in the nation’s capital, stated that the present administration’s fight against corruption was as strong as ever.

While stressing that there were records to back up his claim, he said Nigerians have recently been inundated with allegations of monumental corruption in a number of government agencies.

He listed some of the agencies to include the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

www.overtnews.com

Minister of Information, Lai Mohamed has flayed the People’s Democratic Party for accusing the Buhari administration of graft after it promoted corruption as a creed.

The minister also slammed the opposition for trying to frustrate the probe of the looting at the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, after the party swallowed the funds of the agency through dubious jobs.

The minister spoke at a news conference in Abuja and said the anti-graft being waged by the present administration does not recognise party, tribe or group but aimed at fishing out corrupt elements who looted the nation dry.

“Our fight against corruption is alive and well,” Mohammed said.

www.overtnews.com

Aisha Mohammed

President Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the appointment of Alhaji Sabiu Abubakar and Mr Oba Oluniyi as Deputy Commissioners for Insurance, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).


This was disclosed in a statement by NAICOM’s Head, Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Rasaaq Salami.

According to the statement, Abubakar was appointed the Deputy Commissioner, Technical, while Oluniyi was appointed Deputy Commissioner in charge of Finance and Administration in the Commission.

According to the commission, both appointments became effective on July 17, for an initial tenure of five years.

Abubakar, had worked with the Commission as an assistant director before he left for Jaiz Takaful Insurance Plc as an executive director, a position he held until his appointment.


Also, Oluniyi held the position of the Director, Finance and Account of the Commission until his appointment.

With the appointment, Abubakar, has replaced Sunday Thomas who was Deputy Commissioner for Insurance Technical before he was appointed commissioner for insurance after the exit of the erstwhile commissioner Alhaji Mohammed Kari.

www.overtnews.com

Shaibu Saliu

The Kano State Government has stated that there is no going back on its intention to borrow for the construction of the Light Rail Transit Project in Metropolitan Kano, which was conceived after due consultations with major stakeholders in the state

The state government also insisted that the light rail project is designed to expand commercial activities and ease transportation of agricultural products across the state.

A press release that was issued yesterday night in a swift reaction to a statement by the Kwankwasiyya Movement on the project, by the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Muhammad Garba, stated that no amount of criticism would deter the state government from carrying out laudable projects that would transform Kano to a Mega City.


Garba pointed out that since the foreign loan has already been approved by the China Export-Import Bank, the state government would go ahead with the project by commencing with Lot (I), which started from Dawanau Grains Market-Bata.

He stated that all the due processes are being followed, which include getting approval from the Kano State House of Assembly and clearance from the relevant federal agencies and the National Assembly.

The commissioner, however, said that no amount of blackmail would stand as a stumbling block for the APC government to initiate people oriented policies and programmes in the overall interest of the state.


www.overtnews.com

Babangida Aliyu

The Federal Government has extended the N-Power batch C online application by two weeks.

The online application process, which began on June 26, 2020, was scheduled to close on Sunday, July 26, 2020.

The Federal Government explained the extension will afford interested youths the opportunity to also register.

It also said the number of applications received so far indicates enthusiasm on the part of the applicants to be part of the programme.

According to the Federal Government, at the end of the application exercise, 400,000 of the applicants will be absorbed.

The extension was announced in a series of tweet by Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq via her twitter handle, @Sadiya_farouq on Sunday night.


It reads: “One month after the portal opened for Batch C applications, we are happy to announce that we have received over 5m applications underlining enthusiasm for the programme.

“In a bid to extend the opportunity to all Nigerians and ensure it is truly inclusive, the portal will close at midnight on August 8th, 2020.”

The Minister also promised to review the demands made by the Batch A and B enrollees who will be exiting the programme by the end of this month.

The 500, 000 enrolees, during a protest in Abuja last week, demanded N300billion payment.

They also requested the Federal Government to employ all of them as well as pay them a grant of N600, 000 each.

Farouq stated: “I received news of a protest at the National Assembly by N-Power Batch A and B beneficiaries who presented a list of demands which we are reviewing and will address as practically possible.

“Let me reiterate that the exiting of Batch A and B is not punitive but as a means of providing an opportunity for their brothers and sisters to also access the programme. Batch A and B beneficiaries remain our pride and worthy ambassadors.”

The Federal Ministry of Education has announced the reopening of secondary schools for JSS3 and SS3 students (only exit classes) from August 4, 2020.

Students will have two weeks to prepare for the West African Examinations (WAEC) which will commence on August 17, 2020.

These were the unanimous decisions reached today at a virtual consultative meeting between the Federal Ministry of Education, Honourable Commissioners of Education of the 36 states, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, (NUT), the proprietors of private schools, and Chief Executives of examination bodies.

In a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong, “It was agreed that the exit classes should resume immediately after the Sallah break, from August 4, 2020, to enable them to prepare for the WAEC examinations scheduled to commence from the 17th of August, 2020”.

The meeting also resolved that a passionate appeal be made to the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and public-spirited Nigerians for assistance to schools across the country to enable them fast track the preparations safe reopening, as agreed.

The ministry further stated that another meeting will be held tomorrow (July 28, 2020) between the Federal Ministry of Education and Chief Executives of examination bodies namely, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS to harmonise their examination dates, which will be conveyed to stakeholders expeditiously by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Adeniran Olukoya

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has begun preparations for the 2023 general election, particularly the presidential election, and set dates for the conduct of congresses across the country.


PDP said the congresses were expected to take place in 24 of the 36 states of the federation.

However, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Overtnews that the party had not decided where the presidential candidate of the party would come from. Ologbondiyan said the party was concentrating on the Edo and Ondo states governorship elections for now.

Former vice president and the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambawul, are said to be among those warming up for the presidential ticket of the party.


The congresses would take place at the wards, local governments and states in 24 designated states, ending with zonal congresses in five zones, except the South-west.

The dates for the elections have put politicians, including members of the state Houses of Assembly and National Assembly as well as governors on edge, because whosoever controls the elected officials at these levels would control the structures for the emergence of all categories of candidates for the general election.


A document obtained by Overtnews,signed by the National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Col Austin Akobundu, titled 2020 outstanding congresses, stated that the congresses would take place in 24 states. The states are Abia, Federal Capital Territory, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe States.

The documents said the congresses had been designated for different dates and timelines for their elections.

States like Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross Rivers, Delta and Ebonyi were listed as states that have completed their wards and local governments congresses and therefore do not need a repeat of the congresses.

However, for the above states, the national leadership of the party has mandated them to conduct their state congresses on August 8, while Akwa Ibom State is expected to conduct its on Thursday, July 30.

In Ekiti State, where Senator Biodun Olujimi and Ayo Fayose are fighting for supremacy, the ward congress is slated to hold on July 27, in two wards, while the local governments congresses would hold August 8 and the state congress on August 12, 2020.

The ward and local government congresses in Enugu and Imo states were designated as concluded, but their state congresses will hold on August 8 and August 1 respectively.

In Gombe State, the ward congresses are designated as concluded, but the local governments congress would hold in only one local government of Bilari on August 8.

In Jigawa, the ward congresses will hold on July 27, while in Kaduna, it would hold in four wards alone.

The ward congress in Kano was concluded but in the three states of Jigawa, Kaduna and Kano, the local governments congresses would take place on August 8 and state congresses on August 12 .

Katsina State is billed to hold its state congress on July 27, having completed its wards and local governments’ congresses.

However, there would be no congress in Nasarawa State because of court litigations. Stakeholders of the party are in court over disagreements in the wards, local governments and state congresses.

The document indicates that there would be ward congresses in Ogun State on July 23, while the local governments congresses will take place on July 27 and in Ondo State, all the wards and local governments congresses have been concluded but that the state congresses would hold on August 8.

Congresses would hold in Plateau State on July 27 in the remaining 16 wards, while local government congresses and state congresses would hold on August 8 and 12, respectively.

Sokoto State was listed as having completed its ward congresses, but would hold local governments and state congresses on August 8 and 12, respectively.

Taraba was listed as having completed its ward congresses but it would hold the local governments and state congresses on August 8 and 12 respectively, while Yobe State would hold its ward congresses on Monday, July 27. the local governments’ congresses would take place on August 8, while the state congress is billed for August 12.

PDP’s National Organising Secretary also said there would be zonal congresses in South-east, South-south, North-central, Northwest, and the North-east, on Saturday August 15.